Win Over Executives with a Powerful Story

We often say that selling boils down to the conversations we have, and one of the most powerful elements of a “good” conversation is a purposeful and compelling story that engages the prospect and allows them to become a part of it.

Here is a real-life example of how a story won over a busy CEO:

A producer walks into a first meeting, sits down across from a CEO (who is looking down at a notepad prepared to take notes) and asks if he can tell a story before getting started. The CEO looks up from his pad, says “sure” and leans back in his chair, ready to listen, already more engaged than he was when the producer first walked in. The producer says: “I’m going to describe four scenarios to you. Let me know if any of these sound familiar to you.”

You meet with a group of agents, all of whom promise they have access to the best markets, and they can get you the lowest price. They all deliver on that promise and come back with prices that are within dollars of each other;

One agent is able to get a significantly lower price than the others, but you are so suspicious of it that you decide not to go with him anyway;

You listen to a group of agents present who then just go away. They lose contact with you over time and you’ve wasted your time engaging with them;

Or, a group of agents start coming at you with overwhelming information that does more to confuse than clarify, so you decide to stay with your current broker.

At this point in the conversation, the CEO is leaning toward the producer, fully engaged. “You know what?” he says. “I’ve experienced every scenario you just described. It’s so frustrating.”

“Well, I would like to approach this a little differently, if that’s ok with you,” the producer says.

And, now he has captured the attention of the CEO and can start asking customer-centric questions to move the sales process forward. Have you ever told a story in the sales process that helped you land the account? Let us know in the comments.

“There are three key skills that define a great salesperson: the ability to ask great questions, the ability to listen actively, and the ability to tell great stories.” – Tom Searcy